Performance Solutions Africa

Performance Solutions Africa PSA was founded in 1996, and focuses on Education Management, Small Business/Supplier developement &

PSA is now principally involved in three areas:

Education Management :
Since 2009 over 1000 School Principals in KZN have successfully completed a Principals Management Development Program. Due to the successes achieved it is anticipated that this program will be rolled out nationally. Work has also begun in terms of applying a similar approach and methodology to the Public Health Sector

Small B

usiness/Supplier Development:
Enterprise Development. PSA developed a highly customizable, flexible and practical program which aims to get small business to operate effectively and has modules covering the four pillars of business – Customer, Finance, Operations, and People. This has been successfully implemented for Construction Industry Sub-Contractors. Performance Improvement Programmes:
PSA has been extensively involved in the development and management of large scale performance improvement projects in the public and private sectors. We have developed particular expertise in the clothing and textile industry and more recently we have been providing support in the tourism and provincial and local government sectors. Some of the projects undertaken involve matching funding from international and local organizations and associations such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Swiss Economic Cooperation Organisation (SECO), Commark, the Cape Clothing Association, Departments of Economic Development (KZN and Cape), Anglo American Chairman’s Fund, The Hollards Group, J&J Development Projects Trust, The Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) .

15/01/2021

Performance Solutions Africa achieves ISO 9001:2015 Re-certification
Time flies, because on the 14 December 2021 we successfully underwent our 1st Re-Certification audit against the ISO 9001:2015 standard and received re-certification. As an organisation PSA is proud to have been recertified against this internationally recognised quality management standard.
The implementation of this standard has required that we focus on the following principles of quality management and put systems in place to demonstrate their practical implementation, namely, customer focus and customer satisfaction, leadership, involvement of people, a process approach, a systemic approach to management, continual improvement, a factual approach to decision making and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
The overall aim is that through the implementation of the ISO 9001:2015 standard, PSA consistently provides a quality service to its clients and is continually looking at ways to improve.

17/09/2020

PSA takes time to interact with education officials
During the month of July 2020, PSA held workshops with circuit managers (CMs) and Deputy Chief Education Specialists (DCES). The workshops were aimed at supporting the officials in being able to monitor and track curriculum coverage and assessments at their schools, targeting prioritized grades and subjects. This is especially important during this time when there has been such disruption to teaching and learning and so much time lost, resulting from the national lockdown.
The top 2 topics, packaged for these sessions were:
1. Visual Management: this is a term used a lot in progressive environments which seeks to ensure that those that lead have a snapshot of what progress is being made in key areas of performance. In the education sector, areas such as curriculum coverage, assessment tasks completion (formal and informal) as well as attendance (teachers and learners) are some of the key indicators often displayed on these dashboards
2. Planning: the issue of integrating planning that takes place at a school level and that of the circuit/district has been the subject of talk for some time in the sector. What PSA’s efforts are directed towards is to slowly bring some meaning to upward planning so that SIPs from schools inform circuit/district planning. The opposite is also encouraged, as the SMTs develop their SIPs, they need to take into consideration the current circuit/district plans into consideration.
The sessions were highly appreciated and very fruitful in that future face-2-face meetings will now follow to ensure alignment between what the project offers and what the system (officials) really desires to move ahead. The system is in dire need of strengthening to cope with the ever-growing demands from the external environment.
Some of the officials that attended the sessions made the following comments:
“The workshop gave us a lot of hope to better manage our offices and schools, especially to manage curriculum in schools. The theory that we went through made us to wish we had a full face-to-face session where we would be able to go through even the scenarios to clarify issues better but we are looking forward to one-on-one sessions with you to easily get the template, understand how to use it and cannot wait to begin implementing what I learned from the workshop. Wish we could also have other workshops to enhance our support management to schools”. Ms Mahlangu, Circuit Manager: eMalahleni 1, Mpumalanga.
“I was very much satisfied with the contents of the CMs’ workshop. In particular I was excited by the HOD Curriculum Coverage Tracker tool as well as the School Improvement Plan evaluation tool”. Ms Ralefeta, Circuit Manager: Mapela Circuit, Limpopo
“The intervention strategies, through this programme will develop and capacitate the SMT on curriculum management thereby improving learner performance”. DCES, eMalahleni, Mpumalanga

02/06/2020

Online training and support successfully piloted in the basic education sector!
The COVID-19 lockdown period has brought with it high levels of uncertainty to the entire education system and has school management teams with a range of very challenging issues to address. The successful transition through this period will rest very heavily on these leadership teams getting the right practices and disciplines in place from the get-go.
Last month we issued an article which indicated that our response to this challenge was to design and pilot a set of online modules to support SMT members namely, Managing Schools Remotely and Managing Schools in Small Groups.
These modules were piloted with over 100 schools in the following Provinces – Limpopo, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga. Despite some network and connectivity challenges in some areas we managed to secure over 80% active participation by principals and deputies.
A few learnings we can share are:
• We found that there was just as high enthusiasm for the online engagement from schools in deep rural areas as from other areas
• The Zoom platform worked well for most schools – where we encountered difficulties, we tried other platforms, such as WhatsApp group calls
• It was useful to add commentary into the PowerPoint slides, as it meant participants could easily follow and understand the content even if they battled with connectivity on the day of the online session
• There was a saving of 34% on the costs usually associated with face to face training which involves travel cost and time, accommodation and physical materials. The costs of the data provided to participants and coaches was less than the standard face to face costs. In addition to this, more principals were afforded online support within a day via this mode of support
• The costs of data were minimal – 3G for all 173 participants to cover both modules, training and coaching support for just under R40 000
• Some schools which usually struggled to keep pace within the mainstream programme blossomed with the online intervention. They started to proactively request support from the coach by initiating meeting invitations and also ensuring their entire SMT was part of the online support sessions
Online learning is becoming the ‘new normal’ and PSA continues to focus its support on school leaders during this challenging period.
Our contact details are as follows: [email protected]

PSA leads Performance Management in Higher Education InstitutionsPSA has almost concluded the facilitation of a program ...
21/10/2019

PSA leads Performance Management in Higher Education Institutions
PSA has almost concluded the facilitation of a program of approximately 60 performance management workshops covering 1150 staff members at the DUT.
These workshops commenced in September 2018 with the institution’s senior executive team and were then rolled out by level and by department to cover 79% of the total staff complement.
The workshops were designed to create awareness across the institution of the system to be implemented. The workshops covered the following areas alignment and cascading of target across the institution, 3 phases in the system-planning, review and appraisal, clarification of performance management terminology, use of a PoE and a practical exercise on all the above.
Staff feedback on the workshops has been very positive with 87.6 rating the content and presentation from ‘very good to excellent’.
The partnerships built between PSA and the institution (DUT) have grown stronger and stronger over time. Further opportunities have been identified to assist with building a performance culture backed by solid teamwork, improved morale and a structured and focused workplace with responsibilities aligned with DUT’s strategic vision.

26/08/2019

PSA implements its On-Line Management Practices Assessment Tool
PSA is currently involved in the delivery of the Management & Leadership component of the Anglo America South Africa (AASA) Education Programme for 110 Primary & Secondary Schools located in the areas in which it is operating in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.
One of the first steps was to use our newly developed on-line management practices assessment tool to work with the SMTs to establish a Management Practices baseline score for each school in the 7 core areas, viz: School Governance, Curriculum Management, Teacher Development, Learner Welfare, Parents and Resources.
On completion of the assessment an overall Management Practices Score is produced, as well as a score for each of the 7 themed areas. The PSA Management & Leadership Programme consists of 8 action and outcomes based modules for Principals & DPs, and 4 for HODs which will be trained and coached over the next 3 years. Re-assessments will be conducted at 12-month intervals during the programme which will provide a means in which to measure progress made. In addition, the gaps identified through this assessment will be fed into each school’s improvement plan. Another positive, is that PSA was able to provide the department and funders with the current Management & Leadership practice status for individual schools, school groups and overall.
After the first re-assessment, scheduled for November 2019, each SMT will be provided with the link to their school so that they are able to conduct self-assessments at agreed intervals and to start owning and driving the improvement process themselves.
Where schools are in areas without internet connectivity the assessment is conducted off-line and then uploaded once in an area where internet connection is available. Initial communication regarding the assessment process and supporting evidence required was communicated and discussed with the SMTs of the 110 schools during their Induction sessions. A checklist of supporting evidence required was provided at the Induction. As with all systems, we have minor improvements to make. This first application of the tool on scale, since it was first piloted in 2018, has assisted PSA in making further improvements in the training provided to the PSA assessors, and how best to deal with situations where there is no internet connectivity.
As an organisation we are excited to see how this tool will assist us to measure the progress being made by the participating schools in terms of Management & Leadership practices.

26/03/2019

PSA ISO 9001 2015 JOURNEY
Performance Solutions Africa decided early in 2011 that it would be important for the organisation to obtain ISO 9001:2008 certification and as a result started working towards this, achieving certification at the end of that year. Once certified, we had to undergo annual audits to ensure that our Quality Management System and processes were being maintained and implemented. In addition, every 3rd year we are required to undergo a re-certification audit which we successfully achieved in 2014. In the years following PSA maintained its certification status by meeting the requirements of the annual audits, which are conducted by an external certification agency, in our case, SGS.
In 2017 the ISO 9001:2008 standard was replaced by the ISO 9001:2015 standard and PSA decided to make the transition. So, preparations commenced, and at the end of 2017 PSA underwent a 3-day audit and made a successful transition achieving certification against the requirements of the new standard. In December 2018 PSA successfully underwent its first annual audit against the new standard.
“What is ISO 9001: 2015? and, Why did PSA make the decision to become ISO certified?”.
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) is internationally recognised as the world’s leading quality management standard. It has been implemented by over one million organisations in over 170 countries globally! The implementation of this standard has required that we focus on the following principles of quality management and put systems in place to demonstrate their practical implementation, namely, customer focus and customer satisfaction, leadership, involvement of people, a process approach, a systemic approach to management, continual improvement, a factual approach to decision making and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
The overall aim is that through the implementation of the ISO 9001:2015 standard, PSA consistently does the following:
• provides a quality service to its customers ensuring that we respond quickly to feedback received
• continually look at ways to improve
• has competent, well trained staff who perform at a high standard
• provides our customers with timeous, comprehensive and data supported progress reports as a result of maintaining an effective and efficient data management system
In conclusion, the ISO journey has been positive for PSA, as it has assisted us to be more focused and systematic in our approach to meeting our customers’ needs.

Bojanala DSC Reading Programme: October 2018Reading remains a major obstacle to learning in the South African education ...
29/01/2019

Bojanala DSC Reading Programme: October 2018
Reading remains a major obstacle to learning in the South African education system. This problem, which cuts across grades and /or phases has been the subject of research and discussion in many studies including the international report of PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) published on 5 December 2017. The DSC of Bojanala saw it fit to address the problem thus establishing a pilot programme in a few primary schools.
PSA is one of the 4 partners comprising the ‘PwC Consortium’ which is implementing the NECT project in Bojanala.
An effort to address the problem of reading in schools has culminated in the implementation of a reading project in Bojanala district. This project, which was conceived in October 2017 is spearheaded by District Steering Committee (DSC) of the NECT project and it involves 5 primary schools.
The Grade 4 learners who, by design are in a critical cross over year are the beneficiaries of the project. At this grade, the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) changes from home language to English. A total of 5 schools are involved in the pilot and each school has 20 learners participating in the project.
The project is implemented through an English reading programme which is offered across 8 modules. These modules cover areas such as the following:
o Learning the languages of subjects like Maths and Science through enjoyable activities
o Using posters to stimulate language development
o Listening to the Reading Champion model English
o Speaking English in a safe environment where mistakes can be made without fear or ridicule
o Providing feedback to teachers
Furthermore, each school has selected a Reading Champion who works very closely with the 20 learners. These Reading Champions, who are retired teachers receive quarterly training on the programme. The programme is run as an after-school activity and the reading lessons are conducted for 45 minutes in 3 days a week.
The DSC provides coordination and monitoring of the programme and it is envisaged that by the end of 2018 all Grade 4 learners in the 5 pilot schools will have had access to all the modules in the programme.
After the screening of the Reading Booklet and training of the Reading Champions in June, a total of 10 learners were randomly sampled and wrote a pre-test. At the end of the project a post-test will be administered on the same learners.
The reading programme only started at the beginning of August in all the 5 schools and the weekly reports from the Reading Champions indicate that it is running smoothly.
It is envisaged that reading interest and skills of the learners participating in the programme will improve by at least 25 % at the end of the first year. The first progress report on the programme will be tabled at the DSC meeting on 15 November 2018.

12/07/2018

The PSA Assessor Tool’s 7 areas show a close link with the Auditor General’s NDP-Derived 7 Focus Areas

During the recent Colloquium hosted by SAIDE in Durban, one of the presentations under the ‘Curriculum Coverage and Progression Policies’ stream, was that of the Auditor General’s office, through Dr Takalani Rambau.
The exciting revelation for us was that the 7 areas used in the PSA’s recently launched electronic ‘Assessor Tool’ have a very close resemblance to the 7 areas presented by AGSA, as being the areas identified by the joint AGSA & DBE planning team and termed the “NDP-derived focus areas” currently used to conduct performance audits in the education sector.
Out of seven, the only 2 areas that are not catered for in the Assessor Tool are “Access & Equity”. The second area, which is “Skills Planning” is somewhat covered in the Assessor under the ‘Teacher Development’ element, however not to the extent that fully addresses skills development for the whole school. This NDP alignment provides a very important re-assurance for our team.
Should you be keen to know more about this tool or to implement it within your project, contact Barbara Njapha on [email protected], Contact Number 031 303 9808 or follow us on our LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/company/ps-africa/.

01/12/2017

Our office has moved to new premises. Our address is 5A Silver Oaks, 36 Silverton Road, Musgrave. Thanks to Barbara Njapha, Robin Wilson, Walter Hilder and Mphumaleli Zulu for all your support and hard work. Without you this move could have turned into a nightmare. We look forward to many happy years in our new premises.

15/11/2017

How the PMDP saved my school from closing down

PMDP as a life-saver

During 2013/2014 the PMDP was delivered to 150 schools in the Eastern Cape province covering 3 districts, namely Butterworth, Fort Beaufort and Libode. Principals as well as HODs attended the workshops and received on-site coaching support from the PMDP Coaches.
Again, what was proven here was that there will always be greater success where the principal is genuinely engaged with the PMDP tools and is able to take the entire team with them on the improvement journey. This was definitely the case with Enkwenkwezini Senior Secondary School. Here's the principal's story in her own words.
I was an Acting Principal at Enkwenkwezini SS School and towards the end of 2011, I attended a district workshop to present our 'Turn-Around strategy' as a school that was under-performing.
During this workshop I also heard about the PMDP. According to Mr PK Mhletywa and Ms NJ Mgebisa from Education Professional Services at the provincial office, this programme was supposedly going to assist principals in driving improvements. I reluctantly agreed to be part of the programme (as I was acting principal at the time) after some further convincing from the Head of Curriculum, Mr Helesi.
My main objective was to improve results and save our school. The school was on the brink of being closed down as we only had 50 learners and we were also not performing for years. Our 2011 Gr12 results were 8,6% (1 learner passed out of a class of 12).
I soldiered on and slowly started liking the programme. Some of the things that made the turn-around possible for us was ensuring that I shared my vision with our staff and improved teamwork using the tools from the programme. When the teachers started believing and sharing the same vision, things started changing. There was a positive spirit in the school and everyone worked towards the same goals.
What also worked well for me was to tell the teachers that they are allowed to be creative in achieving the desired goals and they amazed me. I also started making our learners feel special, more specifically the Grade 12s and they became so positive and they also worked hard towards the same goals.
Our results soared the following year: 2012- 80%; 2013- 80%; 2014- 84.2% and 2015- 100%
We are not looking back. I would recommend the PMDP for all principals and my specific advice will be as follows:
· Change your attitude about what you are about to learn from the programme
· Improving relations at school is the first step
· Share your vision and get everyone to live it
· Allow teachers the freedom to be creative within the rules of the school
· Make your learners feel special
· Use the tools from the programme
· Work closely with SGB and parents generally for achieving stated goals
By Mrs Nosizwe Jacobs – Principal of Enkwenkwezini Senior Secondary School in Fort Beaufort district, Eastern Cape.

01/08/2017

PMDP Awards Ceremony for 839 SMT members in Mpumalanga!

On Saturday, 22 July 2017 the Awards Ceremony for the 2016 cohort of the Mpumalanga Department of Education PMDP participants was held at the Cyril Clarke Secondary School in Mbombela. The Ceremony was attended by approximately 600 Principals, Deputy Principals and Heads of Department from the 315 participating PMDP schools.
Dr T T Bhengu, representing the University of KwaZulu-Natal, welcomed the participants in a warm address.
While both the MEC for Education in the Province (The Honourable Ms Makgabo Reginah Mhaule), and the Deputy Director General (Ms Lucy Moyane), experienced last-minute circumstances which prevented them from attending the Ceremony, they were very ably represented by the Chief Director: Curriculum, Mr Mkhwanazi and the Director: Teacher Development and Governance, Dr N Mthethwa respectively.
In her reflection on the PMDP, Dr Mthethwa commented that:
‘The model of the programme is very, very strong… a great strength is working in partnerships – we have been given the opportunity to work side by side on this programme… we began to speak from one script. There has been a deep sense of being solution driven here.
The programme has had a very strong research base, which to us is a plus... When reflecting, we are looking at systemic capacity building that has been imparted.’
Mr Mkhwanazi, in his address, which included a message from the MEC, spoke about the impact of the PMDP, with particular reference to Curriculum Management:
‘From today we will pay particular interest in the PMDP from Curriculum… You cannot separate the performance of a school from its management.
In reading from the MEC’s address, he quoted as follows:
‘I also want to commend the working relationship with the University of KwaZulu-Natal as I appreciate the immense role of private/public partnerships which we have… It is my conviction therefore that empowering school SMTs strengthens not only the school but the community and society, now in the present and in the future’.
Mr Mkhwanazi concluded by commenting as follows:
‘For the first time in this Province we have had the tools to monitor Curriculum…
The PMDP training and coaching methodology is one of the tools at the disposal of the Department to eradicate dysfunctional schools.’
In concluding the proceedings, Mr D Govender, partner from PwC, offered words of thanks to all those who had contributed to the success of this cohort of participants from Mpumalanga.

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1st Floor Silver Oaks, 36 Silverton Road, Musgrave
Durban
4062

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Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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+27313039808

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